An Unexpected Adventure
by Doctor'sRoes10
Summary: The Doctor and Rose have to live the "domestic" life while the TARDIS repairs itself. The two finally have to face their feelings for one another. The rating will probably increase to Mature for a chapter or two later on.
1. Chapter 1

Rose sat on the floor of the TARDIS, watching the Doctor flash in and out of sight as he darted underneath the console.

"Rose, could you hand me the extra vortex manipulator? If it fits into the dimension stabilizer we could essentially- OW!" The Doctor emerged, sucking on his burnt forefinger. "Remind me to not try that again without gloves."

Rose giggled at his appearance, hair sticking out at every angle and glasses slightly askew from his arduous work. The Doctor reached out his hand to pull Rose from the floor, and she couldn't help the flutter of her stomach as their fingers interlocked.

"So, where to now?" Rose asked, anxious for their next adventure to begin. It had been a week since they had left Pete's World, and Rose knew the Doctor still felt guilty over the whole mishap. By immediately leaping from one planet to the next she hoped to distract him before he started to wallow in self loathing again.

"Your choice anywhere in all of time and space, just please don't pick a Sunday, or a Thursday to be honest." He replied happily, leaning against the jumpseat and giving Rose a mischievous look. "Personally, I would recommend the jungles of Kudal. It's a tiny little planet but has the best tasting bananas in the whole galaxy!"

Rose poked him playfully in the chest to silence his rant.

"You said it's my choice, and you better be ready to back that up. I do recall you once offered to bring me to the planet Barcelona." She was surprised when the Doctor picked her up and spun her in a circle.

"This is why I travel with you Rose. You're brilliant you are. Barcelona of course!" He ran around the console in his mad dance, pulling the various knobs and handles. "You're going to love it!"

Rose gripped the TARDIS railing, expecting the usual jolt that preceded taking flight into the Time Vortex. What she did not expect however, was the deafening bang that echoed throughout the room, and the steady shake of the floor. Rose quickly looked to the Doctor, whose expression had turned to stone.

"Rose get down!" He bellowed before diving under the console himself. Rose quickly followed, squirming slightly.

"Doctor- what" she managed to gasp out before more banging, thudding and shaking commenced, followed by frequent yelps from the Doctor. A flash of light to the right of Rose caused her to start, and crawl away, right into the Doctor. He pulled her into his arms and both of them sat and waited the agonizingly until the earthquake like turmoil stopped.

However, the shaking did not stop, instead the heart of the TARDIS broke open, and fire erupted from the console above them. Rose screamed and the Doctor dragged them both from their hiding place and towards the door. The ran outside gasping and shaking slightly.

"What- what happened?" Rose stammered, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer. The Doctor leaned against the blue exterior and pinched the bridge between his eyes.

"Traveling between dimensions, it must have been just too much for her. She's breaking apart from the inside. It's happened once before. There's nothing we can do but wait until she rebuilds; last time it was two months before I could go back inside, let alone fly again."

Rose reached out and wrapped her arms around the Doctor, hoping to be of some comfort.

"So now we wait?" she asked hesitantly.

The Doctor nodded, his expression solemn.

"Now we wait."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_So we wait..._

The Doctor brushed his hand gently through Rose's hair, trying to reassure her. He realized he couldn't be upset about this whole thing, for her sake at least. And really, was two, maybe more months alone with Rose such a bad thing? Well, the Doctor certainly wasn't looking forward to the all too domestic approach to life and being faced with the horrifying realization that he needed for find a new home immediately...

The Doctor leaned slightly and pressed a soft kiss to Rose's forehead, hoping it expressed how truly sorry he was for getting them stuck in this mess, and causing a blush to spread across her cheeks. He snaked his fingers through hers and decided he would make this a game.

"It's getting dark, and although my superior Time Lord biology will allow me to stay awake for, oh days longer than you" he said with a wink, "we really should start looking for a flat. I don't want to have to carry you around."

"Oi!" Rose protested, "In case you've forgotten I've lived in normal society for nineteen years before I met you. Before the week if through I bet ten quid you'll be begging for my help."

The Doctor grinned cheekily. "Well get ready to taste defeat my little human."

Rose gave him the smile that melts both his hearts, and glanced around, taking in her surroundings for the first time.

"Erm, Doctor? Where are we exactly? And when?" She seriously hoped they weren't stuck on some planet where the only food was bananas. Of course he would be beyond thrilled if that were the case.

The Doctor closed his eyes for a moment, Rose assumed he was trying to figure out the time and date. He looked around and said with a grin "Well, Ms. Tyler, I do believe we're in America, just outside New York City, and if I'm correct the date is May 18th of 2005."

Rose gaped at the Doctor. New York? She had always wanted to visit but Mum never had the money, and plus she probably would have thought it was too far away. Rose continued to silently stare around, when the Doctor chuckled beside her.

"Come on, let's go find a home."

With that he offered his arm,, to which she gladly accepted, and they set off for the nearest apartment building.

The Doctor had found two flats that looked promising, and both to his liking, but being the gentleman that he was, he let Rose choose. So now, they two were standing in front of the TARDIS blue door to their flat.

Rose managed to speak first. "It's... blue... like really blue." The Doctor nodded in agreement. He put his new key into the lock and kicked open the door. Rose put one foot inside the apartment, nervous and excited to see their new home. Before she could enter all the way however, the Doctor grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him. For a moment Rose had a fleeting fear that the Doctor had seen something dangerous, but when she looked up to question him she melted. He had a look in his eye that she hadn't seen before. Beneath the gorgeous, brown surface she frequently got lost in, there was a deep sort of glow. The Doctor's gaze softened, and before she knew what he was doing, he swept her into his arms and stepped over the thresh hold.

"Doctor!" Rose gasped a little breathlessly, "I thought that was supposed to be for two newly _married_ people." She couldn't stop herself from smirking, he really was trying so hard, and it was quite cute.

The Doctor tightened his hold on her. "Well since I've never rented a flat before, or have any immediate plans for marriage, I wanted a preview. Although... if this is what it would be like, maybe I could do domestic after all." He winked at Rose. She simply stared.

It was only then that the Doctor noticed just how close their faces were, how Rose was in his arms, how her cheeks still had a flush. His eyes fell to her lips for the briefest moment. Oh how he wanted to reach down and feel those plump lips against his. No, no he mustn't do that, he couldn't she was Rose!

Just as abruptly as he had picked her up, the Doctor set Rose on her feet and turned away, surveying the room. He rubbed the back on his neck, awkwardly wandering to and fro.

Rose felt light-headed. She tried to say something to break the silence, but she couldn't form any coherent thoughts. She looked away from the man in front of her, hoping to clear her head.

"This place is actually quite nice." Rose commented after a minute or two.

"Yeah, I think we could get used to it here for a bit," the Doctor noted. "Go choose a bedroom, I'm going to see if theres any food in the kitchen." Without another word the he turned on his heels and all but sprinted out of the room.

The Doctor leaned against the counter and pressed his palms over his eyes. He couldn't let his emotions get the best of him. Rose was the best companion he'd ever had, and he wasn't going to ruin that. He felt attracted to her, sure, and he cared beyond deeply for her, but he wouldn't even let himself say the words in his head. Being cooped up in a tiny flat was going to be hard, but they managed to travel together for a year and a half without much happening between them. Besides him kissing her. Which, the Doctor decided, would not happen again. His mental battle was broken by Rose's voice

"Doctor? Come here, we have a... well an issue." Hearing the worry in her voice, he immediately ran to her, looking around in a haste.

"What's wrong?"

Rose wrung her hands, sheepishly staring at her trainers.

"I think... I think I confused the apartments... there's only one bedroom."

The Doctor allowed a teasing smile to spread across his face. "You're honestly worried about this? I don't sleep much Rose, you know that. When I do I can just sleep on the couch, it seemed quite comfortable." He pulled her into a hug, who said he couldn't enjoy just being friends?

"But thats not fair to you!" Rose murmured into the lapel of his jacket.

The Doctor grabbed her shoulders and pulled away. "Rose look at me, no really I mean it. You look tired, please just go and sleep. Don't worry about anything while we're here. I'm so sorry. Sorry for getting you trapped here, but I promise I will make this an adventure. Possibly even better than going to Barcelona." He smiled down at her, making her breath catch in her throat.

He released his hold on her and walked back down the small hallway. Rose quietly sat down on her new bed, jumping slightly to test the springs. She realized in dismay, she didn't have anything to change into, so she pulled off her jeans and jacket, leaving them in a heap on the floor. She quickly fell asleep.

The Doctor stood in the middle of the kitchen, contemplating his next move. How could he make it up to Rose? And suddenly it hit him. He crept as quietly to the door as possible, and slipped outside. This would work, at least to start with.


	3. Chapter 3

Rose rolled over in bed, smiling from the peaceful sleep she had just awoken from. Still groggy, she sniffed hopefully as the smell of eggs and bacon permeated through her room. She stood, and lumbered over to her discarded jeans, pulled them back on, and stumbled towards the enticing scent.

The Doctor had been up all night, shopping and reading cooking books and magazines, determined to get this right. He had even donned an apron and chef's hat for the occasion. The Doctor, cooking. He smiled to himself and whistled merrily as he whisked batter in a bowl, which resulted in much of it ending up on his face, or the floor.

The Doctor placed a plate full of waffles, an omelet, bacon, fresh strawberries he had nicked from the neighbors garden the night before, and a glass of orange juice he had squeezed himself, on the table. He wanted to show Rose that he would try to make this right. And the first step to any of that was to accept that they were trapped here temporarily.

Rose stepped into the kitchen and burst out laughing at the Doctor's appearance. Bare feet sticking out from his brown trousers, shirt and tie, and an _apron!_ Her breath hitched up a notch when he turned and gave her the most brilliant smile. She always wanted to wake up to that.

"Hello," the Doctor greeted her.

Rose tentatively stepped closer.

"Hi," she responded, somewhat breathlessly. His eyes were still staring right into hers and her knees felt wobbly. She looked around to avoid jumping him right there and then.

The Doctor reached for her and hugged her, getting various cooking ingredients smudged on her face. He grinned as he saw her avoiding his gaze. He loved how he could do this to her. Sure he wanted to be nice and apologize with this meal, but he wouldn't turn down the chance to make her heart race.

"Did you sleep well?" The Doctor asked, while gently sweeping his thumb across her cheek, removing the mess, but left his hand against her face a few moments longer than was acceptable platonically. The Doctor's hearts both fluttered when Rose looked back to him and nodded. Her eyes darted down to his lips, before she moistened her own with her tongue. What was he doing? He couldn't lead her on like this!

Quickly, the Doctor pulled away, obviously he was going to pretend their moment never happened. It was the usual thing for them to do. But it didn't stop Rose from sighing at the lack of contact between them. She skipped over and hopped onto the counter beside her friend.

"I made you breakfast! I actually cooked!" The Doctor exclaimed excitedly. "I went shopping last night, since I knew you would be starving when you woke up. And I know how grumpy you can get in the mornings."

Rose was used to playful banter like this, and always had her retort ready.

"I don't know if pointing your sonic at food counts as cooking," she laughed and nudged his ribs with her elbow. A shock went up her arm when he shivered.

The Doctor's face fell, and Rose automatically felt terrible. He cooked a whole meal by himself after all, she should try to be more appreciative. She jumped down from her makeshift seat and threw her arms around the Doctor's neck

"I didn't mean that. Thank you so much Doctor, this is perfect," she whispered into his ear as he snaked his arms around her waist.

He chuckled. "Well how do you know it's perfect if you haven't even eating a bite of it yet! It's going to get cold and you'll have no one to blame but yourself." Rose rolled her eyes, but sat at the small table and began to eat. The Doctor took out the sonic and pointed at the dirty bowls and pans, leaving them spotless, then joined her.

Rose fiddled with her fork and wouldn't meet his eye. she knew there were necessary things they needed to do today, especially seeing as they had no clothing or toiletries, but she knew how the Doctor would react. He worked so hard on this breakfast, and it was a massive step in the domestic direction, but shopping? Rose grinned just imagining all the stupid excuses he would make.

"Um, Doctor?" Rose innocently looked up and fluttered her eyelashes. The Doctor eyed her suspiciously, already wary of whatever she was about to ask of him. "We need to shopping today."

He froze. No, there was no way Rose was going to make him shop! Time Lords, let alone the Oncoming Storm, do not roam the aisles of clothing stores!

"I'm good thanks, I've got my suit. I don't need anything else." He picked up his feet and placed them on the empty chair as he spoke, hoping to get the point across that he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

"You seriously can't expect to live in that suit for two whole months, what will you wear when it needs a wash, what will you sleep in?" Rose asked, seriously wishing his answer would be nothing to both questions. Maybe the whole one-outfit idea wasn't terrible after all... No she had to stop thinking like this! He didn't feel the same way about her. How could he?

The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out his sonic screwdriver.

"I have setting 2283, it works perfectly for instantly washing clothes, people, and objects," he said with a smirk. "Looks like the shopping isn't necessary."

"Well I need clothes! And don't you think you should change it up a bit? Buy a pair of, oh I don't know, jeans, couple of t-shirts..." Rose rambled off, picturing the Doctor in a pair of denim jeans.

He snorted into what was left of his breakfast.

"Fine, I'll go with you. You'll need me to sonic some more money from a bank anyway," Rose looked outraged. "Well we need money somehow! I'll pay it back I promise! this is just until we get jobs. Or at least until I get one myself, I don't mind supporting you if you didn't want to work..." he trailed off sheepishly.

Rose turned away as a flush spread across her face, and the tips of her ears turned red. Less than 24 hours into their stay, and they were already acting like a married couple.

"No, I want to work. I mean, thanks for offering an' all... but I would just get so bored if I didn't have something to do!"

She stood then, and brought her plate to the sink. Hoping the Doctor hadn't noticed her odd behavior. It looked like it would be hard to keep a straight head about her non-relationship with him while they were living in such close quarters, and especially when he was being protective and caring like that. She took a deep breath, hoping to steady the uneven thumping of her heart.

The Doctor had noticed. But this time, he decided that instead of trying to play it out, it would be best to ignore the sexual tension hovering between them. He stood and grabbed his jacket off the couch arm, waiting for Rose to turn back around. When she continued to ignore him, he cleared his throat awkwardly, and said "well, I'm leaving. Lot's of shopping-" he grimaced, "to do. And who knows how long that could take. But you're welcome to stand in the corner silently if you want to."

Rose didn't realized she was holding her breath until she sighed. She walked to the Doctor, grabbed his hand and smiled. This will be fun, she would finally get to see this Doctor wearing something other than his usual brown suit.

Little did she know the Doctor was thinking similar thoughts. He would be sure to make Rose try on at least one, very sexy, dress. And stilettos. He couldn't help himself imagining her legs in heels. He shook his head to clear the thought away. Maybe he would actually enjoy shopping after all.


	4. Chapter 4

Unexpected Adventure chapter 4

The Doctor and Rose were the quintessence of a couple as they walked through the streets, fingers intertwined, playfully arguing and laughing together. The Doctor couldn't help but stare at his companion from the corner of his eye. The midday sun shined down warmly upon them, and the light made Rose appear to glow a golden hue. The Time Lord tensed slightly, remembering the moment he truly thought he would lose her forever.

The Doctor swallowed thickly and squeezed Rose's hand tighter in his own.

She looked up him, concern making her eyes wide. She stepped in front of the Doctor suddenly, forcing them both to stop on the pavement.

"Is something wrong? You've barely said two words since we left the flat, normally you would be babbling on about you're latest theory on how to keep bananas from bruising, or how the world is going to end without us there to save it." Rose could see the Doctor roll his eyes, but there was still a dark shadow under the surface.

He let out a quick breath, and sat at the nearest bench before answering her with another question.

"Rose, what do you remember about Satellite 5?"

She hesitantly seated herself beside him, confused by the direction this conversation was taking. Screwing her eyes up in concentration Rose tried to recall something she had forgotten from that day.

"Well, I remember you tricked me into going home, which I'm still mad about by the way. Then Mum, Mickey and I did something... I think it had to do with the TARDIS..."

Suddenly Rose gasped, clapped her hands to her mouth and stared at the Doctor in shock.

"Bad Wolf, those words were there, on the ground. What happened? What are you not telling me?"

The Doctor buried his face in his hands. He always knew he should have told Rose everything. That she saw all of time and space, defeated the Daleks... that they kissed. His fear from that day would always haunt him, as well as his guilt. He changed for her. She needed to know that, he did everything he could to save her.

"You were brilliant, you were. You looked into the Time Vortex at the TARDIS' core. You came back to me." He chuckled nervously. "You could see everything, past present and future. Bad Wolf was you own creation; it was sign so you could find a way to me, always."

The Doctor's voice became husky, and his face fell. Rose's heart broke just from the sight of it, and she placed her hand in his. She was nervous that something bad happened next in his story. Her story.

The Doctor refused to look her in the eye.

"Rose, no one is supposed to absorb the time vortex not even a Time Lord. You were burning from it, your mind couldn't handle the knowledge. I couldn't stand and watch you die in front of me. So, I erm..." He ran a had through his already mussed hair. "Well, essentially I took the vortex from you. You collapsed and I brought you back to the TARDIS, and that's when I regenerated."

He looked at Rose and she was shocked when she saw tears swimming in his brown eyes. He brought his hand up to cup her face.

"I thought I was going to lose you. You didn't wake up immediately, and I thought maybe you wouldn't ever. Or if your mind would be too burned to remember anything of your past, and it would have been all my fault, since I sent you away in the first place. You changed me Rose, before you met me, I was a homicidal monster, I don't know where I would be without you. But I do know that I never want to feel scared like that again. I would say I don't ever want to lose you but that's not exactly right... I never want you to leave me."

Rose was trying to wrap her head around everything she had just heard. She saved the Doctor? And was this his way of saying he... no he would have sacrificed himself for any of his companions... wouldn't he?

She look up from heavily lidded eyes.

"So it's my fault you changed? If I had just listened to you, you would still be all dark and brooding with big ears?" She tried to make a joke out of it, but the words seemed to catch in her throat.

The Doctor shook his head.

"Rose, if you had listened to me, I would be dead. Anyway, I like this me. Slim and a little bit foxy, that's me, well and I also suppose I'm rude and not ginger." His face fell when he said that.

"Well you don't have to worry anymore Doctor, I'm never gonna leave you," Rose replied. "My life was so dull before I met you. You've changed the way I see the world, how could I ever leave you?" Rose grinned. "Plus, it seems like once in a while the all mighty Time Lord needs a stupid ape to protect him."

The Doctor wrapped his arms around Rose, and breathed in the scent of her, wishing he could preserve the moment.

Rose glanced up at him and bit her lip.

"But can I ask you something, Doctor?"

He rubbed small, soothing circles against her arm with his thumb.

"Anything."

"Promise me you won't ever trick me into leaving you again. I would prefer death with you to a life alone."

He grimaced.

"Rose, that's really not fair-"

"I'm not leaving you Doctor, this is all I want in return." She pulled back slightly so she could see his reaction.

The Doctor's eyes softened as he looked at his Rose, the girl of pink and yellow.

"I promise."

Rose smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder. The Doctor chuckled reminded her that they were supposed to be shopping. She followed his lead, and they continued to walk down the street together.

Rose couldn't help but add a smug remark.

"So I really saved you... maybe next time we're out on one of our "dates" you won't doubt me as much."

This statement brought on a whole nother round of playful banter.

The Doctor secretly thanked the universe for giving him Rose.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: sorry this chapter is so short, I hadn't planned on the second part of this chapter, the characters just seem to have minds of their own. I'll make it up to you next chapter.**

Shopping with the Doctor had beyond entertaining. Rose spent the good part of an hour attempted to track down all of her necessary items, while mentally keeping tabs on her cosmic nine year old alien. His face lit with joy as he discovered that the shopping carts had a bar at the bottom, perfect for standing on. Rose had to constantly chase him up and down the aisles as he rode around.

The Doctor had to admit, shopping wasn't nearly as bad as he had originally thought. He quickly found another suit, blue this time, and a maroon shirt that fit his fancy. He also bought all the other important articles, but still had to wait around for Rose to finish her shopping.

Growing impatient, the Doctor decided to hunt for his companion. He searched through every section in the entire store, still unable to find Rose. Just as he was about to give up hope and retire to the curb outside the shop, he heard a familiar voice.

"Doctor where have you been! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

The Doctor spun around, searching frantically for the source of the voice, knocking over a rack of women's jeans in the process.

Rose giggled at the sight awaiting her. The Doctor was standing in the middle of a massive heap of denim, with a combination of horror and confusion. He looked up as she approached the scene.

"I didn't do it Rose! I didn't mean it I'm sorry!" The Doctor had no clue what to. He hadn't invented a setting on the sonic for this sort of thing.

The manager of the store exasperatedly shooed the two from the store, causing them both to burst into a fit of laughter.

When their breathing had finally returned to normal, the Doctor extended his arm and said, "are you hungry? I thought I saw a chips stand a few blocks down. We could eat in that park across from our flat, with the view of the city!"

Rose agreed instantly, her stomach grumbling.

The Doctor had an argument with the salesman at the stand, about whether the food they bought was called chips or fries. They went at it for over ten minutes. Rose had to admit it, the Doctor was incredibly sexy when he put on his glasses. She assumed he wanted to appear clever during this squabble, but she honestly didn't care.

When the two had finally arrived at the park, the Doctor laid out his brown jacket on the grass, laid down, and patted the spot next to him. Rose gladly sank down and leaned back on her forearms. She smiled as remembered the last time she did this. New Earth. Her first "date" with this Doctor.

He was reminiscing at the same time. He reached over and plucked a view strand of grass from the ground, and sniffed them apprehensively.

"Well, I'm sorry to say there's no apple grass around her, but..." He quickly knotted the pieces together, forming a circle. He then placed the makeshift crown atop Rose's head.

Rose grinned and snuggled into the Doctor's side. She took a deep breath and allowed the scent of him to fill her head. She turned her head to look at the city silhouette against the sunset.

"S'beautiful," Rose murmured.

The Doctor nodded, not taking his eyes off Rose.

"Yeah, it is."

Rose closed her eyes, and slowly she was lulled into unconsciousness by the soothing sound of the Doctor's double heartbeat.

"So, I was thinking, maybe tomorrow we could start looking for jobs. I thought I could try to work in the nearest school. I quite liked working with students." When there was no response, the Doctor glanced at Rose. Her eyes were shut, her breathing slow and even. Her face portrayed the epitome of perfection as she slept, every worry line smoothed out, her lips slightly parted, her eyes moving from behind her lids as she dreamt.

The Doctor took his suit jacket off slowly, so he wouldn't wake Rose, and placed it over them both. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her so that her head was resting on his chest, and one of her arms was draped over his abdomen.

He buried his face in her hair and succumbed to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm so sorry I haven't updated in so long! I've been crazy busy with school work. Expect another 2 chapters to be added by the weekend =D. Thank you so much for reviewing, I had been thinking about abandoning this story because it just seemed to be going nowhere, but you guys have inspired me to keep writing!**

Rose opened her eyes, blinking against the bright sunlight that had woken her. She stretched and groaned, and rolled over to the other side of her bed...

She froze. She wasn't in her bed in their little flat. She was lying in the park with the Doctor...

Rose slowly turned to look at him, knowing he would probably make some remark about how bored he was waiting for her to wake up, but instead, the sight before Rose made the breath catch in her throat. The Doctor was asleep. She had never seen him look so peaceful or, well, young before. He was sprawled out on his back, one arm behind Rose's head, and the other clutching the makeshift blanket around him.

Rose stretched out her fingers, hesitating before she placed them on his cheek, gently tracing the contours of his face. She ran her forefinger across the Doctor's bottom lip, marveling in its softness. She couldn't help but silently laugh as she realized this was one of the first times she hadn't seen that lip in a pout.

She quietly crawled closer to the Doctor, unable to keep any space between them when he looked like this, but also trying hard not to wake him. Rose nuzzled her way back into his side, smiling contentedly.

The Doctor had spent hours of the previous night simply watching Rose sleep. She was too beautiful for human words. Well, actually the Doctor couldn't have found words in any language (and he knew quite a few of them) that could describe his perfect Rose.

Eventually, the Doctor had drifted off into sleep. Usually when he slept, he had nightmares about his past, the destruction of his home, the genocide he had committed, but that night he dreamed of nothing but happiness. And Rose; the two terms had become pretty interchangeable lately.

Even in his sleep, the Doctor sensed when Rose woke up, then slight tension in her body, and unevenness in her breathing. Slowly he stirred closer to consciousness, but didn't want to open his eyes and ruin the magic of the moment. He was holding Rose tightly against him, and was able to feel the contours of her soft body against his.

The Doctor almost cried out and ruined his facade when Rose rolled away from him. The cold air chilled the skin where Rose had been curled against, and he hated it.

He heard Rose's gasp of surprise a few moments later. He assumed she forgot where she was... The Doctor was seriously tempted to open his eyes, just to see her bemused expression, since he was sure it would be priceless. But again he resisted temptation, hoping that she would fall back asleep, meaning he wouldn't have to face the day just yet.

The moment Rose's fingers started stroking his face, his hearts began hammering in his chest faster than they had ever before. He shivered slightly, unable to keep still. Rose must be able to hear his hearts, right? She must know he's awake-

Oh... God this girl really would be the death of him, the Doctor thought as Rose caressed his lip. It literally took every ounce of his mental strength not to open his mouth so he could taste her. His physical strength had already abandoned him, as he felt the blood rush from his head to other parts of his anatomy. His fists knotted in the grass beside them, and if it wasn't for his respiratory bypass system, he would have been gasping for air.

The Doctor counted the minutes until he knew, for sure, that Rose was sleeping once more. His hearts broke just at the thought of leaving her, but he needed to get his thoughts together.

He slowly extricated himself form her grip, and slowly walked in no particular direction, glad that his moment of arousal wasn't too much to tame. He seriously needed to get his emotions under control. Rose was- well, Rose. He had spent nearly every minute since they met jumping from one adventure to the next, never having enough time to stop and consider the emotions that ran between them.

The Doctor had always known Rose was different from every other companion he'd had in the past. He only took the best, but Rose was even beyond that, and he ruined her.

He had stolen her form her only remaining family, caused her to lose her (ex)boyfriend in another dimension, and now trapped her in here, without even a way to contact home.

The Doctor sat at the base of an oak tree, and began to pluck individual strands of grass from the ground.

He knew he would never leave Rose, he needed her too much, and he was essentially a selfish creature; his friends had always been the best of him. But, he couldn't deny that the things Rose could do to him was terrifying. The Doctor's entire being centered around her. He even regenerated to a form that would work with her better.

He shouldn't have let it get this far. He had to end this as soon as possible. The Doctor reasoned that he didn't need to rid himself of Rose, he wouldn't do that to her, but he needed space. He had to show her that they were _friends,_and nothing more.

Rose knew the Doctor had left. She could sense the absence of his double heartbeat even in her sleep; so it was no surprise when she woke soon afterwards.

She sat up, relishing in the feel of the sun against her face, its warmth spreading throughout her body. She rose, plucked the Doctor's trench coat from the ground, wrapping it around herself, and set off in search of her companion.

The Doctor was pacing when Rose found him. He looked in total distress, hands clenching and unclenching, feet stomping as he marched. What could have him in such a mess? If he hadn't wanted to be that close the night before, all he had to do was get up and leave sooner.

Rose's question was answered almost immediately. The Doctor had flopped to the ground, and was mumbling to himself. As she inched closer, desperate to understand his despair, the Doctor ran his hands over his face and spoke out loud.

"She's a _human!_ A stupid ape. Nothing!"

Rose froze. Her eyes brimmed with tears and she felt her heart break in her chest. She slowly backed away, scared for the Doctor to see her cry. Scared to have him see just how far she had fallen for him. She threw off his jacket, turned and sprinted back towards the flat, not able to help the choking sobs that began to rip their way through her.

The Doctor knew the words were a lie the moment he said them. Rose could never be less than everything to him. He was slowly starting to accept that he would just have to face this head on and let fate play out.

He tensed, a moment of paranoia spreading through him. No. She couldn't have heard that right? She was still asleep.

But the tiny gasp that escaped her lips was enough to tell the Doctor he had been mistaken; Rose certainly had heard. He quickly turned just in time to see her retreating form as she ran away.

The Doctor tried to hold himself back, and chase after her at the same time, resulting in what looked to be a type of ballet leap. He settled on picking up his coat from where Rose had thrown it. He tried to call after her, but either she couldn't hear him, or she just didn't want to.

Rose didn't stop running until she got back to the flat. She burst through the door, and continued her rampage, slamming her bedroom door, and throwing herself onto the bed.

Finally, Rose allowed the entirety of her love for the Doctor to pour out of her. The tears streamed down her cheeks, and she didn't even bother to wipe them away. Her chest rippled from the wracking sobs that burst forth.

Mentally, she reprimanded herself for acting like this. Rose knew she never could have been with the Doctor as more than a companion. She was a human as he said, replaceable.

But still, she was not able to stop the hurt she felt as her heart pounded painfully in her chest.

The Doctor entered the flat soon after. His sullen mood reflected Rose's. He lowered himself onto the couch, and placed his head in his hands, hoping, praying that Rose would realize he hadn't meant it. The words sounded so cliché as he thought them, but in that moment he couldn't care.

After what felt like an eternity, it was obvious that Rose wasn't going to emerge any time soon. The Doctor slowly made his way towards her sanctuary, still undecided about what to say to her.

As he reached the door to Rose's room, her heard her crying. The sound tore through his entire body, causing him more pain than he had ever felt before, even more than while he was regenerating.

He needed to go to her, pull her into his arms and wipe away her tears. He needed to be her comfort, not the cause of her pain.

Hand on the door handle, the Doctor paused.

No, this was for the best. They couldn't get involved any further, and if he explained... well... it would be admitting to his feelings. He couldn't have that discussion now, probably not ever. It would be better if Rose thought he truly didn't have any feelings for her. She would be able to move on with her life.

The Doctor turned back, and walked to the kitchen. He grabbed the note pad and pen that stood next to the unused phone, scribbled a quick letter explaining he would be back, and not to worry (although he doubted Rose would care at the moment) and left the apartment in a hurry.


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm sorry for all the angst so early on. It'll get better don't worry. Once again, thank you so much for all the support! If I could I would personally thank each and every one of my readers, you're the ones who truly inspire me to keep writing. **

Rose sat up, head pounding, and heart aching. She dried the remainder of her tears on her sleeve, and ran her fingers through her hair, trying to comb out the gnarled clumps that had formed.

She walked into the bathroom, hoping a nice, warm shower would help calm her. She honestly didn't know why her reaction was this intense, it wasn't like she had expected anything else. Except, she had hoped they were slowly becoming more than just friends. The Doctor did so many little things, like holding her hand extra long, or gazing at her out of the corner of her eye, that made her think they _could_ be something more. Obviously she had got it wrong.

Rose clutched the sink counter, her knuckles turning white. She glanced at the face in the mirror, the face that certainly couldn't have been hers. The reflection had black lines down its face, where her mascara ran, her eyes were puffy and still watering, and her lips were blood red.

She took a deep breath. She was Rose Tyler, Defender of the Earth. She didn't let heartbreak stop her.

It was in that moment that Rose decided she wouldn't hide, or run from the Doctor. She would try to continue what they had, their companionship, without letting her feelings for the him ruin it. Rose had already promised him she would never leave his side, and that was a promise she intended to keep. It would be better to still live this adventurous life with heartbreak, than be stuck at home in London without the Doctor.

The Doctor slowly paced back and forth across the pavement in front of the TARDIS. He muttered angrily to himself, frequently stopping to lay a hand on the blue box. He knew he had hurt Rose too much this time. They were so close now, so close to stepping over that line they had both drawn so long ago; she wouldn't be able to just sit back and accept his apology.

He slumped down to the curb, mind reeling, while his hands absentmindedly played with the TARDIS key. Living his life without traveling the stars was proving to be so much harder than he had originally expected. But this was better in some ways... now he wouldn't have to confront his lov- no, his _feelings_ for Rose.

"Always the coward," the Doctor mumbled as he trudged back home.

When the Doctor entered the apartment, he was greeted by the enticing scent of shepherds pie. He instantly became wary. He had once watched a movie where a girl was "dumped" and she flitted from one obsessive hobby to the next.

No, Rose was better than that, the Doctor thought. Plus, he hadn't really broken up with her. They had never began.

His eyes widened in shock as he took in the scene.

Rose was cooking what looked to be an incredibly complex meal. She was humming to herself and stirring liquid into a sauce pan.

"Er, Rose?" The Doctor awkwardly looked at his feet.

Rose took a deep breath before turning around to face him. She was going to try her hardest to pretend that nothing had happened earlier even if it caused her physical pain.

"I made dinner, yours is already on the table; you have to grab a drink though, i think there's a clean glass in the cabinet."

The Doctor knew what she was doing as soon as he saw the phony smile she tried so hard to maintain.

"Oh, uh thanks. It looks good." He sat the the table and mentally beat himself. It looks good? That was hardly the apology she deserved. Rose seated herself at the table not long after, and they began to eat in extremely cumbersome silence.

"Rose, look I think-" she cut him off.

"Doctor," his name burned as it left her mouth. "I don't want to talk about it alright? I'm trying to enjoy the meal so unless you have a positive critique of my cooking please just... don't say anything." She put her fork down and folded her hands in her lap.

Anger rose in the Doctor. Did she really think that would end this? Did she honestly believe that by cooking a meal (a fantastic meal if he had any say in it), they would both just forget what he said? One way or another she would have to listen to him.

"Listen to me please. I- oh I'm horrid at wording things. What you heard..." He reached across the table to take her hand. Rose's eyes hardened and she flinched away very slightly.

The Doctor rubbed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger before continuing.

"Rose, you really don't understand. I didn't mean any of what I said. I was-" He swallowed, silently cursing himself for admitting this, but he didn't know how else to get her to realize the truth.

"I was trying to think of reasons why this is wrong, why we're wrong. Yes, I'll admit it. But I don't believe it at all. Rose, you're honestly the most wonderful, brilliant being in all the cosmos. You are more to me than you could imagine." The Doctor trailed off as he watched Rose. Her expression had turned turned to sheer pain, and he saw tears well in her eyes.

Rose didn't know what to think. She so wanted to believe him, but she just couldn't ignore the fact that what he had said was true in every sense. She was nothing compared to the almighty Time Lord. How could she ever compare to him?

Without a word Rose stood and practically ran back to her room. She launched herself back onto the bed, and started dryly sniffling, having no tears left to cry.

The Doctor decided this time he would not let her get away so easily. He followed her, but once again hesitated at the door. He listened to Rose for a few moments, gathering his thoughts and emotions, before he stepped into her room.

Glaring at her, the Doctor strode to her bed and sat down beside her. He put his hand on her knee, feeling sparks as their skin met, but also watching for her reaction.

"You promised you would never leave me, Rose," he whispered, the anguish in his voice portraying his true emotions.

"Please, don't lock me out. I can't- I just can't lose you now," his words pierced Rose's heart, jolting her to her senses.

She reached forward so she was sitting directly in front of him on the bed.

"Hey now, who said anything about leaving? Doctor, I'm never breaking my promise, yeah? When are you going to get that through that big head of yours." He chuckled darkly.

"But I do need to know, did you really not mean it? At all?" The Doctor saw Rose peek from under her dark lashes, tears still clinging to them. He swallowed thickly, nodded, and opened his arms in invitation.

Rose didn't miss the opportunity. She launched herself into his embrace, knocking him over so that they were sprawled out across the blankets. She snuggled into him, not able to help the tears that sprung to her eyes.

"Shh, it's alright," the Doctor murmured, stroking her hair in comfort. They stayed like that for a few minutes, until Rose's crying had finally stopped.

She rolled over onto her side to look at him, and whispered so quietly he could barely make out the words.

"Stay, please."

The Doctor knew it was wrong, but he didn't want to go, not yet. He looked deeply into her eyes once, just staring in awe at the amazing woman beside him.

He kicked off his white trainers, loosened his tie, and threw his suit jacket aside, obviously not caring about the mess he was creating. He awkwardly situated himself on the far edge of the bed, and Rose curled up under the covers.

After what seemed like the longest minute of their lives, the two laid in those positions, craving the touch of the other, but also fearing it. Eventually, the Doctor rolled back, closer to her, and said the words she needed to hear.

"Come here."

Rose would never pass up an opportunity such as this, so she immediately fit herself into the shape of his body. She could feel herself relaxing, and drifting into unconsciousness, once again in the arms of the Time Lord. The last coherent thought she had was that her tears would stain his shirt, before she completely devoted herself to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

So sorry I haven't updated in so long! Junior year is really stressful. This chapter is mostly fluff and a little plot progression before the tension returns. Review and comment with anything you want to see in future chapters!

It had been three weeks since Rose and the Doctor had gotten stranded in Earth and they had finally gotten into a semblance of routine. The Doctor had gotten a job teaching (physics of course) at the local summer school, while his companion continued to hunt for a position. She had come up empty handed so far, since no one would hire her without valid identification, and she outright refused to let the Doctor bump up her credentials with the psychic paper.

At the moment, the Doctor and Rose were sprinting around their flat in their usual morning rush. He wasn't used to having a stringent agenda, and even with his impeccable sense of timing, he still could never get anywhere on time.

Rose had pulled on her favorite pair of jeans and a white t-shirt and started brushing the tangles from her hair, when the Doctor made an appearance in her bedroom.

"I cannot, for the life of me, decide which tie to wear today!"

Rose tried to hide her laughter, of course he would worry about simple matter like this, but when it came to saving the world, he wouldn't even pause for a moment of consideration.

The Doctor quickly threw himself in front of the full length mirror, directly positioning himself in front of Rose.

"Oi!" she yelled and playfully hit his arm.

Rose gently reached up and plucked one of the ties from around his neck. She started laughing again.

"Do you honestly want to wear this?" she asked incredulously. "Its the most atrocious thing I've ever seen! And that's coming from a girl who's met talking flesh." She shuddered involuntarily, remembering Cassandra.

The Doctor's face fell.

"What's wrong with my tie? I thought you would appreciate it..."

This sent Rose into a fit of full-blown laughter.

"You thought I would like a bright orange tie with pictures of bananas all over it? You couldn't catch me dead wearing that"

The Doctor turned, and raised a quizzical eyebrow at her. She really shouldn't have said that, from where he was standing (literally and metaphorically) that was a challenge he couldn't back down from.

Rose turned her back on him, searching the floor for her trainers. They really had to get going or the Doctor would be later than his students again! She shook her head, he would be out of his job faster than he had gotten it.

Unbeknown to her, the Doctor was tracking her progression around the room with careful eyes. He threw off the plain blue tie, keeping the banana one clutched in his hand.

Rose had sat on the edge of the bed to tie her laces, when something, no, someone came crashing into her. She saw the Doctor's tie fly around for a few moments before she processed what was happening.

The two wrestled for some time, but in the end the Doctor managed to trap Rose between himself and the bed headboard. Rose tried to squirm away, but he caught her hands and quickly tied them together. He was quite proud of his makeshift handcuffs.

He froze. The Doctor slowly processed the image before him, and what he noticed thrilled, and embarrassed him at the same time. Rose's legs were wrapped around his waist, with her hand tied, and he had her pressed against the bed.

Rose seemed to realize this at the same time. She crawled out form under him, clearing her throat and looking away. A blush spread across her cheeks, and she cursed her raging human hormones.

The Time Lord wasn't much better off however. Their moment of intimacy had sent his barriers tumbling down. All the blood had left his head, and moved to, er, well other parts of his anatomy.

"Well I should get going! I don't wanna be late again, you know children, they'll probably burn down the entire school if I'm not there." Without another word he all but sprinted from the room, leaving a flustered Rose inside.

She spent the next few minutes attempting to undo the knot the Doctor had tied, but she hadn't made any progress. With a frustrated sigh she gave up on the task, already plotting for ways to make the him pay.

o.O.o

The Doctor couldn't concentrate the slightest bit that day at work, even when his favorite student, Tommy, asked him about the possibility of time travel. He felt so conflicted all the time. He knew his relationship with Rose was changing drastically, and the more he fought against it, the more he seemed to fall for her.

He honestly couldn't deny it anymore. He loved her more than he could have ever imagined.

But one thing he did know was that he was far too much of a coward to act on his feelings towards her. At least for the moment. Shouldn't he try to protect himself? She would wither and die... that couldn't change, and maybe if he and Rose didn't reach that new level in their relationship, it would hurt less when she was no longer with him. Oh why was he kidding himself? That wouldn't help in the slightest.

He ruffled his hair in distress.

"Ok class, turn to page 394, and read the passage on electromagnetic communication."

He slumped down into his chair, and stated grading papers. He could deal with with his confusion later.

o.O.o

Rose had decided to surprise the Doctor on his lunch break. It took almost a quarter of an hour to find his classroom. She looked through the little glass window, grinning as she saw him reclining in his chair, feet outstretched on his desk, and of course wearing his glasses.

She tapped lightly on the window, wanting to get his attention without interrupting the students. The Doctor looked up at her, a huge smile stretching from ear to ear. He flounced to the door, opened it a few inches and whispered to her.

"I wasn't aware we would be having guests." He waggled his eyebrows.

Rose's heartbeat stuttered.

"I didn't want you to get lonely, this is quite a big room for only one teacher."

He fully opened the door and pulled her into a hug. A few of the children began staring at the two, openly smirking at each other.

Suddenly, the Doctor whipped around and pulled Rose into the center of the room. He lifted his arms as if presenting her to the world.

"Class, I'd like you to meet Rose Tyler! She's going to be our special guest for the day." He winked at Rose and she giggled. He could be such a nutter sometimes.

She waved and smiled. "Hi everyone." She couldn't help but feel slightly awkward. Thankfully, the Doctor saved her from embarrassment.

"Tommy, could you come here for a moment?" The boy quickly obliged, looked eagerly at the Doctor.

"Rose, this is Tommy Johnson, now I have to get back to work. Tommy, would you mind telling Rose about your little idea from before?"

Tommy's eyes sparkled with delight, and he led Rose to the empty seat next to his desk.

Rose glanced at him hesitantly, obviously hoping he would start the conversation. He surprised her with a question.

"Are you and Professor Smith married?"

Rose started. She glanced at the Doctor, laughing at both his alias and from imagining his expression if he had been the one asked that.

"No, we're just good friends. So, tell me about that theory of your." She was honestly curious now.

"Well, it'll sound crazy, and like, impossible, but Professor Smith says we should always think about impossible things." Rose grinned. "So I was thinking about time travel. Nothing could be more impossible than that right? But the Professor gave us some formulas to study, and I think it might actually work!" His eyes shone and Rose could obviously see the sheer delight he felt.

"I think you're right, Tommy. I think it's very possible too. Maybe one day you'll travel into the future." She quickly wished she hadn't spoken when she saw the look of dismay on his face.

"Oh I don't think so Ms. Tyler. No one ever believes kids, so scientists would just ignore my ideas."

Rose's heart dropped to her stomach. She reached to pat him on the arm.

"Like the Doct- Professor Smith said, think about the impossible. One day you'll be all grown up, and maybe you'll be the first person to discover time travel! I know it seems far away, and I'm sorry Tommy. If people were smart, they would listen to kids more often. You have such brilliant ideas."

Tommy gazed hopefully at Rose. He opened his mouth to reply, but the lunch bell rang, and the students quickly rushed out of the room.

The Doctor quickly ran to Rose and pulled her into another rib crushing hug. He pressed his face into her hair and said, "I see you got on quite well with my favorite student."

Rose laughed and pulled away.

"He was great, I can see why he's your favorite. How 'bout some lunch, yeah?"

He grinned, and led them into the hallway.

A thought quickly fell from Rose's mouth.

"Doctor? Who was the first human to study time travel?"

The Doctor looked at her, questions in his eyes.

"Well the first person to make any real progress was a Professor Thomas Johnson..." He trailed off. The realization came to him an instant later, and he picked Rose up and spun her in a circle.

"Thomas Johnson is Tommy! My Tommy! Rose I can't believe it! I taught the boy who becomes the most influential scientist in all of Earth's history."

Rose rolled her eyes, but inside she was ecstatic. This really was incredible, although, it would be impossible to stop the Doctor from gloating.

As they walked, hand in hand, to to cafeteria, the Doctor happily thought to himself that maybe, just maybe, this really could be a great adventure after all.


	9. Chapter 9

Nice little surprise in this chapter! Get ready to see some real jealousy coming from the Doctor soon. Things between Rose and the Doctor are going to change drastically. Also, there's some hints towards what happened in Doomsday and End of Time, but don't worry there isn't angst in this chapter.

Rose and the Doctor left the school building later that day, excited to get back to the flat and just enjoy a pleasant night in each other's company. Swinging their entangled hands between them, the Time Lord rambled on about the most incredible human invention, banana chips.

"Rose, can we please stop at the shop? A student, Alexandra was eating them today, and I don't think I'll be able to sleep with the knowledge that such things exist!" the Doctor complained for the fifth time that night.

"Fine, if it'll to get you to stop talking. Know what? Sometimes it's hard to imagine you being 904, when you're constantly acting like a human toddler."

"Oi! What's the point of being a grown up if you can't be childish once in a while?"

The Doctor's breath caught in his throat, not for the first time that day, when he looked at Rose. Her tongue poked flirtatiously between he teeth, her golden hair whipping around her face.

The small part of his brain that was still functioning laughed quietly at her rebuke. His current thoughts were certainly not those of a child.

'Psh, "once in a while". I don't think you've acted like an adult for more than five minutes at a time."

Seeing the Doctor's face fall she quickly rectified her statement.

"But I still love it. I could never imagine you being serious, or mature, you just wouldn't be you anymore."

"Oh Rose, you're powers of distraction aren't nearly as strong as you think. Your words are nice, but banana chips are nicer! Come on, if we don't hurry they grocery store will close, and you'll have to deep fry slices of banana yourself."

Rose shook her head, slightly disappointed that he had remembered, and set off with her man-child in tow.

o.O.o

Rose fished through the Doctor's coat pockets for the sonic. They had both left their keys inside, and the Doctor was busy licking the remaining banana powder form his fingertips, and flat out refused to be of any help.

She couldn't find the screwdriver (his pockets were bigger on the inside of course), so she ended up searching her own once again.

"Doctor, I think I left my mobile at the school."

"Alright, I'll look for it on Monday before school starts."

Rose frowned.

"Do you mind if I just go back now? I know it's stupid but it reminds me of Mum..." She trailed off, scared she said too much.

The Doctor looked at her. He stepped forward, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her close. He stroked her hair in soothing rhythms.

"Do you want me to go with you?"

Rose sighed and pressed herself closer against him.

"Nah that's alright, I'll only be a few minutes. Get some sleep, you look exhausted." The Doctor opened his mouth to argue that his superior physiology didn't need sleep. "No don't you give me that. I know you need some sleep, and you don't get nearly as much as you should."

The Doctor sighed and pressed a quick kiss to Rose's hairline, before disappearing to the bedroom.

o.O.o

Rose was wandering back from the school once again, alone this time, mobile in hand. She contemplated how the Doctor seemed to be so much more affectionate (at least openly). Where would this go?

She knew she wasn't enough for him, she wouldn't live forever, she wasn't brilliant, but she could keep him from getting hurt. The Doctor needed someone to protect him from himself, and that's where Rose came in.

Suddenly she stopped. A man was standing on the sidewalk in a long trench coat and suspenders. He was tapping his watch-like device on his wrist and frowning slightly.

Rose's knees buckled, but she managed to throw herself towards the man.

"Jack!"

He turned just in time for Rose to throw her arms around him.

"Rose? What? How the hell did you get here? Where's..." He grabbed Rose's shoulders and pushed her away.

"Rose, how long has it been since we last saw each other?"

Her smile slid from her face and was quickly replaced with confusion.

"Almost a year ago... Why?"

Jack lurched away from her. He started pacing back and forth across the sidewalk, wringing his hands, a look of distress etched onto his face.

"So you haven't... the battle... ugh how do I phrase this without giving anything away? Have you met Donna? Or Matha?"

Rose shook her head, getting more nervous as the seconds passed by.

Jack's eyes widened and he rushed forward. He grabbed Rose and spun her around, laughing insanely.

"I can't believe it's you Rose, it's been so long since I last saw you."

She laughed.

"Yeah right, it couldn't have been that long, you don't look a day older."

Jack's eyes hardened.

"So, where's the Doctor? I assume he is here right?"

"Yeah... but it's complicated. We don't have the TARDIS right now, so er... well we have a flat. Yeah, so he's there now if you want to go see him."

Jack flashed her his signature smile.

"You two got a flat together? Oh I'm so not passing up a chance to see this."

She smacked his arm.

"It's not like that Jack!" Yet, she added silently.

"Ha sure, so where to? I'm starved, you better have some good food at this flat of yours."

Rose rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe how similar he and the Doctor were sometimes. Maybe it was all men.

o.O.o

The Doctor was woken suddenly by, what he had to assume in his sleepy state, was a flying Rose. He felt her launch herself onto the bed, throwing him slightly into the air. He groaned and rolled, crushing her into the mattress.

"Doctor wake up! I have a surprise for you!" She crawled across him and started to poke and prod his face.

"Ugh Rose, first you want me to sleep, then you wake me up by jumping on me. And you call me childish."

He couldn't help but grin and pull Rose down to hug her again. He could never be frustrated with her for long.

The Doctor heard someone clear their throat from the doorway.

He all but threw Rose off him, and jumped to his feet.

A thousand thoughts flashed through his mind in a half second. How could Jack be here? What had the Bad Wolf done? Was he... No, he couldn't think about that yet. Rose didn't know what she had done to him.

Somewhat stiffly, the Doctor walked forward and hugged Jack, who responded enthusiastically.

"How have you been Captain?"

"Oh you know, I've been getting around."

The Doctor saw years hidden behind Jack's eyes, and knew that they had to talk openly, away from Rose.

Luckily, Rose had her own ideas. She proclaimed she needed a shower, and would let the boys catch up.

The Doctor led Jack back to the living room, and sat in the only armchair, as far as respectfully possible.

Jack began to speak before the Doctor could even comprehend what to say.

"Look Doctor, I know what happened to me, and I also know what happens to you. And Rose. I've talked to her and I generally know where you two are, and what will soon happen, but it's been over fifty years since I've last seen either of you."

The Doctor was speechless. He had expected as much, but still, he couldn't help but be astounded by how far Jack had come.

He also knew he couldn't learn anything about his future, but he still yearned for the knowledge.

"But Doctor," Jack broke him from his reverie. "Soon you'll meet a younger me. I searched for you for months after the Game Station, and eventually I did find you. I didn't know what had happened to me, and you'll have to help me understand."

The Doctor leaned forward and rubbed his face.

"Rose doesn't know what she did to you, Jack. I want to keep it that way for now, there's still so much I need to say to her. So much to explain."

He was surprised when the Jack patted his knee awkwardly.

"I know I can't tell you what's going to happen... and I won't. But Doctor, this isn't about the future, this is what I see now, and what I saw back at the game station. Rose loves you. Please don't leave everything unsaid. Don't stretch this out too much, she deserves more than that. You do too."

The Doctor noted that this was the first time someone besides Rose had made him speechless; at least in this, and his previous regenerations.

"I'll try Jack. Things are just... complicated right now."

Jack threw back his head and laughed.

"Things are never straightforward with you, Doctor. You just need to learn how to enjoy the moment."

"I am! Did Rose not tell you? I'm living the domestic life temporarily!" His goofy, proud expression made Jack laugh again.

"Yeah but it wasn't your choice was it?"

At that moment, Rose walked into the room, wearing a blue tshirt and plaid pajama pants.

She grinned maniacally upon seeing Jack's hand still on the Doctor's leg.

"Do you two want to be alone? You should have left a tie on the doorknob."

Jack guffawed and clapped, while the Doctor looked grumpy and scowled at her.

Jack pushed himself off the couch and hugged Rose again. He placed his hands on either side of her face and kissed her.

The Doctor growled internally. It was just Jack, he's probably kissed millions of species, let alone people, but still, it was _his_ lips that he wanted Rose to feel, not Jack's.

Rose broke away and grinned.

"Jack, you didn't come here only for the prospect of getting lucky did you?"

Jack pretended to look ashamed.

"Alas, you've found me out Rose Tyler."

The Doctor had had enough of their flirting. He was glad to see Jack again, but not when things were going so well between him and Rose. He was finally accepting his feelings for this girl of pink and yellow, and Jack would just make things awkward.

"Well, I think I'm going to go back to sleep now, since your arrival rudely woke me. Come on Rose."

Jack flashed a wicked grin at the pair before calling after them: "I'll just take the couch then!"

Rose was speechless when the Doctor pulled her back to the bedroom. He was acting _jealous_! Was he?

The Doctor crawled back under the covers without saying a word to her. Was she supposed to sleep there too? They had shared the bed before, but never under normal circumstances.

He shifted on the bed, and Rose walked around the bed to sit on the edge and turn off the light. She patted his arm, and stood to go back to the living room. She would just sleep on the arm chair that night.

As she snuck back towards the door, she was surprised to hear the Doctor's voice.

"Where are you going?"

The pure innocence in his voice broke through to her core.

"I thought... I thought I would just sleep out on the chair tonight. Jack's on the couch, and I don't wanna bother you since you don't get to sleep much."

"You'll get all stiff sleeping there. And Jack'll take any opportunity to squeeze you on the couch with him. Just stay here, it is your bed after all. If anyone should take the chair, it's me. Well, technically it should be Jack, but you're more hospitable than I am."

Rose laughed and threw herself back onto the bed. The Doctor held the covers so she could squirm her way under. A sort of silent agreement passed between them, and in that moment Rose knew something was shifting between them.

Without hesitating, she rolled over so her back was pressed up against the Doctor's front. He snaked his arm across her waist, and laced his fingers with hers. He threw caution to the wind, and very gently, pressed his lips to the contour under Rose's ear. He swept them across her jaw, and stopped, before pressing them against her own lips, parting them ever so slightly. She gasped and twisted, so she was facing him, and the Doctor ran one hand down her back, the other knotting itself in her hair. A shiver rippled down her spine following his hand. Rose pulled away, gasping for air, but refusing to let any space between them. He continued to press soft, yet desperate kisses in a trail down her neck, pausing to swirl his tongue in the indent of her shoulder.

Rose moaned and placed her hand on the Doctor's cheek, pulling him back to capture his lips again. This time, she parted them further, allowing his tongue to snake into her mouth. He explored her, as she explored him. Their tongues danced and played, as their bodies twisted as to get as close as possible, despite the sheet and clothing between them.

The Doctor rolled them over, so he was hovering above her, bracing himself on his forearms. Rose arched her hips up against his, grinding them. He let out an animalistic growl and the sound reverberated against her skin. Her hands began to clumsily grab his tie (the very tie that they fought over that morning) when there was a loud banging on the door.

"Could you keep it down in there? Some of us are trying to sleep. Unless, of course, you want a third member, then just yell."

The Doctor chuckled and pushed himself off Rose. She sighed and melted back against him, marveling in his embrace. Once more he kissed her sweetly, before laying back against the pillows. The soothing pounding of their three hearts together lulled them both into sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

I'm so sorry i haven't updated lately! I know this chapter is pretty short but it didn't fit in well with the next one (yes it's already written) =/ anyway please enjoy this and I promise to update before next week. Just as a notice, this story will probably be 20-30 chapters, and I'm planning a sequel so definitely subscribe, I'll always keep posting.

The Doctor flexed his fingers, gently lacing them through Rose's hair as she slept. His breath hitched as the moonlight lit up her features, and he realized she was the most beautiful thing in the entire world.

He didn't deserve her, he had always known that, but now that he had crossed the line they had spent months defining, there was no turn back.

But was he ready for this? Looking at Rose, he knew with both his hearts that he loved her, but could he really bring himself to express it openly? The last time he felt any sort of feelings for a companion, Sarah Jane, he had dumped her on Earth, rather than accept their fate. But Rose was different; she was truly incredible, and he needed her more than he needed anything else. Well, maybe not as much as the TARDIS...

He gently eased himself from the bed, trailing the tips of his fingers along her arm. Although he would have loved to spend the night watching her sleep, he still couldn't help the restlessness that came with 900 years of running.

The Doctor trudged slowly through the hall, wondering if Jack was awake. Did Jack even need sleep? There was so much they still needed to discuss...

He laughed when he spotted Jack sitting on the kitchen floor, eating spoonfuls of ice cream straight form the container.

"Immortal and still... you fall helpless to a simple dairy treat."

Jack snorted.

"Oh right, like I'm the only person with a strange food fetish. I see you still have your thing for bananas, not that I mind." he added with a wink.

The Doctor rolled his eyes and leaned against the counter.

"Jack, I more than anyone know the laws of time, but when it comes to Rose I would throw them out the window. Hell, I already did that," he remembered the incident with Pete, just about a year before.

"I need to know, are Rose and I... so we work out in the end?"

Jack guiltily looked to the floor, before meeting the Doctor's pleading gaze.

"Doctor, I haven't seen you or Rose in over fifty years, so I really couldn't say. Yes I know what happens in your future, but I don't know how it ends."

Jack stood and crossed to the Time Lord. He gave him a comforting shoulder pat before continuing.

"I hate to see you and her like this Doctor. You've known how she's felt about you since the day you told her to run. I knew instantly you two were something special when we first met, granted I didn't want to believe it. Rose is something special, you won't be able to replace her."

The Doctor tried to calm his nerves.

"I just don't know if I can honestly do this, Jack. I can't watch her age and die. How could I ever put her in a situation where she could never have a real life? We couldn't have a family, or settle down, and eventually she could get sick of constantly running. I don't think I could bear if she left me... if she no longer wanted to travel..."

He trailed off, knowing the words he spoke were both lies and truths. The fact of the matter was that he only had Rose. Nothing else. She was his everything and it scared him.

Jack marched away and glared at the Doctor.

"You have to do this! Take what time you have with her and make sure it's good! If you don't you'll just regret it by the time you get to the Battle of Canary-"

He froze. The Doctor's eyes widened and his hearts skipped a beat.

"Jack, what happened? What will happen?"

Jack started to storm out but the Doctor blocked the exit.

"You know I can't tell you! You already know more than you should."

With that Jack fled from the flat.

The Doctor hesitantly walked back to his sleeping Rose. Looking at her, he knew what would happen. Yes he had fallen, in more ways than one, but he could fix this.

Jack's suppressed gloom, and his recent slip had made him certain of the future.

He would lose Rose.


	11. Chapter 11

Rose stretched and groaned; she felt very stiff, like she hadn't moved the entire night. Her hands searched for the familiar fabric of the Doctor's suit, knowing he probably hadn't stayed the night. Her fingers brushed something that felt oddly enough like hair.

"Good morning my little human," the Doctor said, propping himself onto his forearm.

Rose raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"You stayed here? Throughout the night?"

"Well, not exactly. I came back though, and I was back by the time you were awake." He affectionately poked her nose as he spoke, an air of delight about him, but Rose knew better. He was acting like this because he felt guilty about what happened the night before. She puffed out a quick breath. She knew, even as it happened, he was only being territorial; because, Jack was there. Usually the Doctor was busy keeping him from ruining any of his precious TARDIS, but now the only real "possession" the Doctor had here, was Rose.

"Where's Jack? Did we scare him off last night?" She said with a cheeky grin. "That was a good idea, making him think we're... together; saves me, well you too i guess, the trouble of being at the receiving side of his innuendos."

The Doctor puzzled this statement while fiddling with Rose's hair. Well, of course he had previously made it very clear that he couldn't be anything more than her friend, but those barriers were quickly falling.

His hearts ached slightly as Rose rolled away. He supposed the only thing he could do, for now at least, was to go along with her delusions and try to protect her from any and all impending danger. He wouldn't try to change the future per se, but there weren't any rules against trying to keep Rose out of harms way, and she did tend to attract an awful load of trouble.

"Doctor?" Rose's voice broke him of his reverie. "Is everything alright?"

She sat up and put a comforting hand on his knee.

He swallowed before answering, unable to meet her eye.

"Everything's fine Rose. Actually, things are perfect! We have a fantastic day ahead of us! Get up quickly, we're going to do some real cooking; it's about time I stop using the sonic for everything. Don't want it to fizz out on me, without the TARDIS to repair it." He frowned, picturing the horrific scene.

Rose laughed and jumped from the bed, pulling the Doctor up with her. She snake her arms around his shoulders and whispered into his neck, "thank you... for everything."

She really couldn't thank him enough. She hadn't even woken ten minutes ago and he was already making her day bright. There wasn't a single thing that could make her happier in that instant.

o.O.o

A few hours, and many burnt pancake-like creations later, Rose noticed something peculiar. She had gotten a tiny cut, a few minutes earlier, trying to catch utensils that the Doctor had carelessly knocked over. Now, however, the little red mark had some golden specks. Upon closer examination, she saw that the gold seemed to be expanding, sort of swallowing up the cut.

She glanced at the Doctor, a look of concern and wonder on her face.

"Doctor? I'll be right back, I have to go get something."

Without another word, Rose all but sprinted to her. She held the pad of her fingertip up to her face, carefully regarding the area, however, there didn't seem to be any cut. There weren't any gold spots either.

Rose looked into the mirror, and searched her complexion. She had noticed little changes in her body lately, her figure was becoming more slender, hair shinier, she could run faster and farther without tiring out. She had just assumed these were thanks to the rigorous chases she had been through with the Doctor.

But there were other differences too. Her died blonde hair, instead of growing in brown, was a golden blonde color. Her skin had a sort of glowing hue too, and around the edges of her pupils there was a tiny ring of gold.

Rose quickly pulled off her sweater, quickly looking for the scar on her rib she had received as a child when she fell off her red bicycle. But is wasn't there.

She trailed her finger over the area... it was perfectly smooth, no rough edges, or raised lines...

As quickly twisted around, searching for anything else that had changed, but just as she looked away, the door slammed open.

"Rose, I declare, we've got to cook from scratch more often. These pancakes- gah!" The Doctor froze, eyes tracing Rose's figure, as she scrambled to cover herself with the duvet from the bed. "Sorry, sorry I should have knocked, but you were taking such a long time and I was getting bored..." He trailed off but continued to stare; it seemed as if he was shocked into freezing, and couldn't have moved even if he wanted to.

Rose finally managed to wrap a blanket around her torso, and turned to the Doctor, her face flushing.

"Er... you want to leave now?"

The Doctor snapped out of it. He met Rose's eye, and quickly turned as red a she was. Her rubbed the back of his neck, like he always did while embarrassed, and quickly left the room, carefully closing the door behind him.

Rose groaned and fell onto the bed. Why did these things always happen to her? well, it was good to know she could stun the Doctor into silence, but now she would have to go and face him. She had wanted to ask him about these strange little changes in her body, but she supposed now wasn't the best time to show more of her skin.

The Doctor leaned against Rose's bedroom door, and closed his eyes. This girl, this little human child really would be his downfall. He always thought of himself as having such incredibly strong barriers against women, sure he enjoyed them, but there were always bigger, more important issues to deal with than his own personal desires. Here though, there weren't any issues he had to go running to. Only Rose.

Still, in a month, hopefully not much longer, they would be back amongst the stars, running for their lives, never turning back. Rose was the best companion the Doctor ever had, and losing her would be... it would kill him. This regeneration was made for her and her alone. He would never be complete with out his Rose.

The Doctor almost fell back as Rose opened the door, a grumpy expression on her face.

"Oh, sorry! I didn't realize you were here!" She rocked back on her heels, not sure if she should avoid eye contact or not.

Just then, the Doctor noticed something, not much, but something. A glimmer, a soft glimmer within Rose's beautiful brown eyes. A golden glow he recognized all too well.

Bad Wolf


	12. Chapter 12

**Alright, this chapter is a lot to wrap your head around, and may seem misplaced, seeing as this story takes place before Doomsday, but it's all part of the plan, long run at least. Read and Review, I would love to hear your feedback on this new direction to the plot.**

_ Bad Wolf _

The Doctor's mind began to race a hundred times faster than usual, which honestly, was saying something. He recognized the golden light easily, identical to that which resided within Rose on the Game Station, but it was impossible, he drew the Time Vortex from her, he regenerated because of it, her mind would have burned.

Was it all for nothing?

Was the Bad Wolf still within his beloved companion, patiently waiting, stirring, growing in strength?

All this flashed through his alien mind in less than a second. Rose was still standing shell shocked, eyes wide and questioning. She slowly reached a hand towards the Doctor, and placed it on his chest, right between his two hearts.

"Doctor? What's wrong? You look like you've just seen a Slitheen..."

He opened his mouth several times, unable to make a sound. Although she felt incredibly nervous upon seeing the Doctor act irrationally like this, she wanted to snicker, he looked like a guppy.

Suddenly, Rose doubled over, clutching her head, her world turning black. She cried out as images appeared in her head, of a beautiful red and gold planet, of Rassilon, of Time Lords. She saw Gallifrey as the Doctor knew it. She saw him as a child, brown hair, searching eyes, she saw him look into the Vortex... the Vortex that was within her. She was part of time, all of time, as time was part of him. In fact, she _was_ part of him. The same time within her, resided with him. The Doctor and Rose, in the TARDIS, sharing all of time and space, in more ways than one.

o.O.o

The Doctor, while all this was happening within Rose's mind, had rushed forward to catch her, before she hit the ground. Her body convulsed, eyes rolling back into her head, as her extremities twitched and flailed.

He leaned forward, and placed his hands on either side of her face, closed his eyes, and opened the telepathic link he tried so hard to keep closed.

o.O.o

Rose blinked and Gallifrey vanished, leaving her spinning, the darkness closing in, suffocating... She struggled as the pressure tightened around her chest and her vision blurred. She could feel herself slipping away, feel her life being ripped from her body, and being thrown into space.

Suddenly, she slammed down onto a hard, grated floor. Stars danced in front of her eyes as she groaned in pain, her back aching from the drop, her head burning.

Rose's vision then noted her surroundings. The TARDIS, exactly the way it had been before they got trapped on earth; the console was radiating a pale blue hue, there was a banana on the jumpseat, and one of the Doctor's red trainers on underneath.

She pushed herself up onto her forearms, her hair streaming out in front of her face, blocking her peripheral vision, blocking the man who had appeared beside her.

The Doctor quickly rushed to Rose's side, placing one hand on the small of her back, the other to her shoulder, his familiar touch reassuring to Rose. Upon standing, the Doctor could see Rose was weak on her feet, her knees wobbling from the mental impact of hitting the "TARDIS" floor, her eyes filling with painful tears. He swept her into his arms, supporting the majority of her weight easily, and burrowed his face into her blonde hair. He couldn't help his own tears fall from his eyes as he let his fears surface; this could be the last time he could hold her, he wouldn't be able to stop the vortex from destroying her body this time around, it was too far within her.

Rose whimpered into the Doctor's chest, trying to block out the burning sensation that was slowly spreading throughout her body, filling her veins, lighting her on fire from within. She breathed deeply, trying to block out everything but the feel of her Doctor.

"Rose, please, I need to explain what's happening and quickly. Don't be scared Rose, I'll-" The Doctor paused, releasing a jagged breath that shook them both. "You're trapped within your own subconscious, with all of time running through your mind... oh how do I explain this... sort of like a funnel through which the TARDIS is still trying to protect you, that's why your subconscious appears as such, you have a bond with her too strong to be broken. The Vortex is filling your mind, Rose, and it's too much for your human body to handle. But I promise you... I will not leave you. I will find a way to stop this. It won't be like the last time."

Rose tried to speak but the pain had to strong of a hold physically. She heard the Doctor's words, but didn't have the strength to understand them. All she knew was they were here, in the TARDIS, together. It was happy, it was right. But then why was the Doctor crying?

She finally succumbed to the fire, and went limp in the Doctor's hold. Her eyes rolled back into her skull, and the blackness overcame her once more.

The Doctor placed her down on the floor of the TARDIS. He clutched Rose's deathly white hand with all his strength, as if it could keep her alive. Keep her from dying inside her own mind.

And then he knew what he had to do. Rose's subconscious was the TARDIS for a reason, and he knew every inch of the wonderful ship. It's walls were trapping her, protecting her from the power of time, but it was also causing a paradox. The blue box was trying to bring Rose back in time, to stop the Bad Wolf from entering her, in order to save her life now. She was forcing Rose's mind to bend in ways that both destroyed and saved her. If the TARDIS continued, Rose's body and mind would be safe in the past, but time would be rewritten, and this version of themselves would cease to exist.

But there was hope. Rose wasn't the only one who had a link to the ship, and by invading her mind already, it would be all too easy to override the telepathic command between the two, and remove the Vortex from Rose's mind, to his own, which could then be transmitted back to the real TARDIS, not the one in her subconscious.

But there was also a consequence. This transfer, it would take regeneration power, from the past, present, and future alike. He knew it would happen, the strength of his last regeneration was much stronger than those preceding, and he could assume his future would be just as intense.

And even a Time Lord's body cannot stand that much torture. He would be ripped apart, his very essence would separate the next time he changed. The body would change, and so would the mind. Eleven, it would have all of his memories, but nothing would remain besides that, not his little quirks, not his love for Rose. His being would be trapped, as it is, inside the TARDIS. This him would never die, but be without a body. But, in a way it would be death. This his, now, would never get to continue in the future. He wouldn't be a part of his next regenerations. His body and mind would live on, but not _him. _He wouldn't get to experience the future. It would be a second Doctor. He would be the real Doctor, while what was left from now... it would just be a shadow, a trapped mind.

The Doctor slammed his hand onto the console. He knew he would do this to save Rose, condemn himself, and he hated it. Not the part about saving Rose, he would always choose that, but he hated knowing this future had been set in store for him, and not having a real choice. Regardless, there was not much time left to do this.

He laughed wickedly. All of time and space he had, but this girl of pink and yellow had made him subject to the passing of time. He shook his head, brushing away the lingering tears, and opened his mind wider, allowing Rose to have access to everything, his past, the War, while extracting the time from her. He gasped as he felt the energy bottle within him, burrowing itself within his body, where it would wait to break him, break him and lock his mind away forever.

As the last of the Vortex left Rose, the Doctor could feel her start to reject his intrusion of privacy. He smiled as the girl in the floor moved, groaned and stretched, and became more and more distant as he was pushed away from her head. With a flash of golden light, the Doctor was thrown from Rose. He blinked once, and saw the floor of their flat, crushed into his face, and although he wished to move to a more comfortable position, his body was no longer in his control. The Vortex was still binding to him, burning, but not enough to cause a regeneration.

Grimly the Doctor thought at least he still had time with Rose, before his next self goes flaunting off without him. Then, he let the darkness overcome him, and sank into a stupor.

The Earth continued spinning, cars continued to drive by, completely unaware of the battle that had just commenced, that could have destroyed everything. Inside their quiet little flat, the Doctor and Rose's unconscious forms lay slumped on the floor, hands entwined, together. Always.


	13. Chapter 13

Sorry for all the angst lately =/ I'll try to incorporate more fluff into these next chapters, and have the story get a bit lighter. Thank you for all the support, it's really made writing this story incredible. I have an ending planned, but I'm not sure if I want to split it up from the sequels, or just make it one realllly long fic. As of right now, it looks like it'll be combined, but I'll write a separate sequel after Journey's End (in who time)

The Doctor slowly opened his eyes, blinking away the crust that had formed in the corners, silently assessing his physical capacities. He inwardly moaned against the pain and stiffness he felt throughout his chest, residing in both of his hearts. He wiggled his toes, then fingers, and felt the smooth, warm hand of his companion.

He bolted upright, ignoring the agonizing pain, and pulled himself towards Rose, whose breathing was too quick and shallow for the Doctor's taste; he hair was plastered to her pale face, her eyes moving beneath closed lids. The Doctor swept the golden hair away, and hesitated, before gently twisting his neck, and leaning to listen to her precious heartbeat. He sighed in relief as it thudded strongly under her skin.

The Doctor's mind was completely blank, the only thought he had was that Rose was alright, at least physically. He pushed himself up to a standing position, head spinning as the blood rushed to his extremities. So gently, as to not jostle the unconscious girl before him, he scooped her into his arms, holding her tightly as he carried her from the hallway, through her bedroom door, and onto the bed.

He tucked the comforter around he form, desperate to make Rose as comfortable as was possible under the current circumstances. Despite his Time Lord senses, the Doctor had no idea how long they had been under for, and was worried that Rose was malnourished. She didn't look too sickly, but her face was slightly swollen, indicating the beginnings of dehydration.

The Doctor immediately pulled the sonic from one of his many transdimentional pockets, and did a once-over on Rose, just to double check. He slouched back, relieved when the scans told him she was completely well, better than well in fact. Rose's vitals were incredibly strong, a notion which the Doctor took as pride, his Rose, facing all of space and time and living to tell the tale.

At that moment, the Doctor came to a realization: he could not live without Rose, and holding in his feelings for her was no longer an option. This most recent near death experience put everything into perspective for him. It wouldn't be an easy journey, and honestly, the prospect of facing this head-on scared the Doctor more than anything, but he couldn't let Rose's life continue, never knowing just how important she was.

The Doctor kneeled at Rose's bedside, took her right hand in both of his, and brought it to his lips. He rubbed slow, small circles into the palm of her hand, causing her heart rate to increase, and a faint flush to spread across her face, even in sleep.

Rose's eyelids fluttered, and her toes curled underneath the soft blanket wrapped around her. She felt exhausted, like she hadn't slept in years, and all she wanted to do was roll over and fall back into slumber, but there was a tickling feeling in her

palm, and she was pretty sure it would keep her awake.

She tried to move her hand, trying to shake off whatever had woken her, but instead, two cooler hands wrapped around hers, stilling them.

Rose's eyes flashed open, immediately consumed within the beautiful brown ones directly before her.

"Hello," the Doctor whispered, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he smiled.

"Hi," Rose breathed back. She knew she should say something more, but the look in his eyes ruined any train of thought she might have had. It was one of those rare moments where the Doctor was completely unguarded, letting his raw emotions pour from him. Every worry line, every hint of the Doctor's true age left him entirely, and Rose felt as if she was meeting him all over again.

Without thinking, Rose raised her hand (the one not already clasped between the Doctor's) and stroked the dark circles under his eyes, worry etching into her face, and also marveling that he didn't move away. Instead, he leaned slightly into her touch.

Rose tried to sit up, but a sharp pain through her heart stopped her attempts. She caught her breath, and scrunched her eyes against their watering.

Immediately, the Doctor stood. He knew she would be in pain, her body shouldn't have been exposed to that much energy, ever, so he had prepared for this.

"Drink this, it's tea I've infused with chemical extracts. It'll help to restructure your body's natural amino acids, and force the white blood cells to attack the remaining Vortex energy, which will essentially-"

Rose pressed two fingers to his lips, knowing she wouldn't have the energy to unravel his time babble, once it became too complex.

"Just, can you lie with me? I'm tired, but I doubt I'll be able to sleep anymore right now."

The Doctor inwardly groaned. He wanted so much to stay with Rose, but he had to call school and apologize for his absence that day, as well as the ones that would soon follow. He wouldn't leave Rose at home by herself while in this state.

Of course Rose would get what she wanted. She always did. The Doctor sniggered as he thought this.

"Well budge up will you? How am I supposed to lay down if you're taking up all the space?"

Rose laughed, the sound echoing like bells, and scooted over to the left. The Doctor clambered next to her, and reached around her shoulders, pulling her into his chest. Rose sighed in relief, and clutched onto the lapel of his jacket, knowing he would never leave her, but still afraid to let go.

The Doctor felt his double heart beat pick up slightly, scared by how strong of a hold this woman had on him. That thought seemed to crop into his mind more often than not lately.

He pressed his lips to the crown of Rose's head, and stroked her golden hair with his free hand.

It was moments like this he cherished the most, just sitting with his companion, no running, no fighting for their lives. Typically, they were surrounded by the comforting aura of the TARDIS library. He would be reading a book in Gallifreyan, while she would be chatting away on the mobile with Jackie.

They had come so close in the past to crossing that line, the line between companions and... was there even a word for it? The Doctor didn't think so, and chuckled quietly.

Rose twisted her head to look at him.

"Watcha laughing for?" Her fake annoyance was broken when her tongue snuck between her teeth.

The Doctor tried so hard to keep his head from reeling as her beauty struck him one again.

"Just thinking about fate."

"I thought you didn't believe such a thing?" Her questioning tone marked slightly with accusation.

"Well, I used to not, but ever since I met you in London all that time ago... I've already told you how very much you've saved me, in every sense of the word. Coming out of the Time War, I was suicidal; the guilt was constantly too much to handle. I killed everyone, but I was still alive. And while I live, my race lives on. The moment I met you, I felt as it nothing else mattered, and I could finally start to heal. I know you always feel like you aren't important, like I could have picked any other human off the planet and it wouldn't have made a difference, but the truth it that something, somewhere, led me to you. I don't know if was fate, or some sort of higher power, or some sort of combination of the two, but it was the best thing that has ever happened to me."

The Doctor finally finished his rant, and glanced at Rose, somewhat nervously. He had never in the past come this close to outright declaring his feelings, but at the same time, he couldn't back away now. He had made his decision.

"You've become a part of me, Rose, you hold both my hearts. I know I'm not the best at expressing myself, but I'm trying, and I'll keep trying. I want to do whatever I can to make you happy; I'll do whatever you need. I..."

The Doctor's breath caught in his throat, and he buried his face into her hair. He brought his hand across his body, and around her back, pulling her body atop his own. He felt her heartbeat against his own, their pulses dancing together.

Their eyes locked together, the intensity of the gaze burning straight to each other's souls. Rose leaned her head down, so her forehead pressed against his, and closed her eyes against the tears she knew would fall.

His own tears streaked across his face, leaving glistening trails. Rose wiped them away with her thumb.

"I know, Doctor, I know. You don't have to say it. And you know too don't you? You know that I-"

He copied her earlier motion, and silenced her with his fingers. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't let himself hear those words. Not yet. This would be hard, and had to be taken slowly, but they could get through it.

Rose nodded gently in understanding. Her heart both soared, and cracked, she knew they would never be able to progress to the next stage in their relationship in a single bound. Nothing about the Doctor was ordinary, so why should his relationships be?

She slowly rolled off him, her body aching from the loss of contact, and cuddled into his side instead. She breathed in the scent that can only be described at the Doctor himself, and his her tear filled eyes in his shoulder.

The Doctor turned his head, and leveled it with Rose's. He brushed away her tears, and pulled her as close as was physically possible. Their breathing mingled together and their senses heightened as a result of the close contact.

Rose skimmed her nose along the Doctor's, stopping to see his reaction. His instincts told him to pull away, to run and never stop, but his heart forced him to respond with enthusiasm.

He brought both hands to cup Rose's face, stopping her from withdrawing. Slowly, very slowly he closed the short distance between them, but he paused the moment before their lips would touch.

"My Rose," The Doctor whispered, and finally took the last leap dividing the two.

The moment their mouths collided was blissful oblivion for them both. The kiss was so simple, their lips entangling, lasting only a single moment, but was enough to express every single atom of their mutual love wordlessly.

Rose finally broke away, gasping despite the short length of their kiss. If she had been standing, it would have been enough to knock her to her knees.

The Doctor felt even more strongly. His entire body was tingling, his lips burning, Rose's body heat warming him to his core.

Though they may not have been ready to admit it verbally, they had taken a step in the right direction. One that neither really expected to ever happen. They both knew in that moment, as they held each other beneath the blanket, moments like this, of shared intimacy and love, would happen infrequently, at least for now. Neither the Doctor nor Rose was ready to full out charge into this new dynamic between them.

And despite all this, they both felt the love, so strong and tangible, and it was more than enough to fill them with pure joy, and block out the rest of the world.

All that existed in that moment, was the Doctor and his Rose.


	14. Chapter 14

Hey! Just so you know, I'm updating later today, probably around 5 or 6 Eastern US time. I know it's been forever, and I miss you all, and the story terribly. It;s really going to pick up the pace now and be an adventure through time instead of just stuck in the suburbs of New York.


	15. Chapter 15

Hi everyone! I'm sooo glad to be back, and as I've had time to really think about this story, I promise you'll have many more updates asap. It's going to leave the general time-frame we have going on here, and start moving throughout the different episodes of seasons 2 through 4. Yes, there will be an "alternate" ending to Doomsday, but I'm going to try to explain this without giving away too much. It changes everything about what happens after Bad Wolf Bay for the second time, but it still fits in perfectly with canon, so you won't have to worry about a great, but completely unbelievable ending that you wish was real. In my mind, this is how it happened.

"Doctor!" Rose whined, her fingers scrambling to rip off the cloth blocking her vision. "Can't you talk this bloody blindfold off of me, I'm going to trip."

The Doctor laughed and steered Rose away from the curb she was about to run into. He had wanted to surprise her, but it didn't seem right that he was enjoying this more than her, his pulse sped up significantly each time he realized his hands were on her waist and her (literal and metaphorical) blind faith in him was proven. Still, he couldn't help but let his somewhat fake exasperation leak through his words

"Just a couple more steps... Rose you have to put your hands down, I'm not going to let you hit anything! Alright and... Stop." He withdrew his hands, jumped in front of Rose and untied the blindfold.

Rose blinked a few times, letting her eyes adjust to the slightly darkened light. The smile that stretched across her face as she recognized their surroundings was larger than the Doctor had ever seen. The TARDIS.

"I thought you said she wouldn't be ready for at least another 3 weeks," Rose said, wandering over to one of the tree-like posts and hugging it.

"Yes, well, to be honest she still isn't ready. She still has to grow back all the extraneous rooms, like the swimming pool, the library, the gardens... and er.. well... your room." The Doctor turned and sauntered to the console, hiding himself from Rose's view.

"Wait, wadya mean 'my room'? It's just gone?"

"No! Well yes. But not in the way you imagine it. The TARDIS leaves a transdimensional backup of everything inside of her. You can compare it to a memory chip in a computer... well it's more like a real memory since she's alive, but you get the point. So as time passes, she can convert the energy from the vortex through the console, which disperses throughout the 'memories' and slowly builds them back, exactly the way they were. Give or take a few upgrades I've wanted for years, like a separate library wing dedicated to each of the places we've visited, natural hot springs in the gardens-"

"So er, not trying to sound needy or anything, but where exactly should I sleep? And put my clothes? Speaking of which we should go pack our things from the flat shouldn't we?"

The Doctor nervously ran his hand through his hair.

"Well, the TARDIS isn't ready just yet to travel, but I thought we may enjoy living here again opposed to that old ruddy flat of ours. And you'll sleep in my room of course, at least until yours is ready. It's not like we haven't gotten used to that lately, and anyway, my room is larger than our entire flat, so it won't be an issue." A light blush spread across his cheeks as he spoke, unsure of where this conversation would take him.

Since that night where he almost spoke... the words... there hadn't been a whole lot of intimacy between him and Rose. He was still scared, and she knew that so she didn't push him. But it left them at an awkward, post breakup friendship dynamic.

Rose averted her eyes from the man across from her and took a deep breath. She had to choose her words carefully so as not to embarrass herself.

"Yeah, that sounds reasonable. Er, so where exactly is your room? I was thinking a nice warm shower is in order, nothing says welcome home like over 50 flavors of soap ..." She rambled off, hoping that her eagerness to venture beyond the usual realms of the TARDIS wasn't too obvious. Although the Doctor didn't seem to mind. He smiled widely, a twinkle in his eyes as he grabbed Rose's hand and started to sprint off down the South corridor.

"This way, oh Rose you're going to love it. And feel free to move anything you want; since you're going to be living here for a while you deserve to be comfortable, so whatever you want you can have. Just don't touch my banana tree."

"You have a banana tree in your bedroom?" Rose asked incredulously.

The Doctor looked somewhat put out.

"It's not just a bedroom. I have to spend hours and hours reading and studying in here, trying to find great places to take you mainly, so I would be a bit more appreciative. Sometimes I get hungry in the middle of the night and don't want to walk all the way to the kitchen, it's not my fault."

The Doctor's childish banter was always amusing to Rose. How could someone who's over 900 years old still act like a perpetual 5th grader?

The Time Lord stopped quickly in front of a dark wooden door.

"Rose, just so you know... you're the first person to ever come in here, well besides me of course. It's not like there hasn't ever been anyone in my room, but just not this version of it..."

"Doctor just open the bloody door."

He laughed, braced himself, and swung the door in.

Rose gasped. It was the most beautiful room she had every seen. Dark, night blue walls and ceiling that literally twinkled with the moving images of the night sky, shooting stars, even what looked to be a black whole. The floor was a soft, pale golden carpet, the curtains accented with gold, the colors of Gallifrey. And dead in the center of the room, up against the wall stood the most magnificent bed Rose had ever seen in her entire life. Midnight blue bedding with delicate golden timelines embroidered on the edges, Golden pillows and pale curtain-type objects which wrapped themselves up the bed posts, and weaved together into a canopy, shielding the bed from the rest of the world.

Rose walked slowly towards one of the walls, and trailed her fingers along a chain of shooting stars, wonder crossing her face. She was so consumed with awe that she didn't hear the Doctor approach from behind.

"Do you like it?" He whispered.

Rose turned, and stared into his eyes, possibly the only thing in the world that was more beautiful than the room she stood in now.

"It's perfect. It's you."

Rose placed her hands on the Doctor's chest, feeling both heartbeats flutter. She looked up and slowly moved her lips towards his. He met her eagerly and, just as it had before, every touch was electricity between them, every touch intensified. The kiss was all consuming as fire burned between them, his hands in her hair, her body pressed against his. Their lips crashed together again and again, and the Doctor slowly pressed his tongue against Rose's lips, which parted automatically. Her taste encompassed all his senses and before he knew entirely what he was doing, they were falling together against his bed. Rose grinned against his mouth and moaned, every nerve on fire. She ran her fingers through his hair, finally accomplishing this goal she thought would only belong to daydreams. Shivers ran down her body as the Doctor slowly, gently started trailing his hands down her sides, stopping at the waist.

Rose finally had to break away to catch her breath, her heart hammering so loudly she was sure he could hear. Then she realized, she was here, in the Doctor's bedroom, and had just snogged him so thoroughly she probably wouldn't be able to think straight for a week.

The Doctor noticed her bemused expression, and bolted upright.

"Rose? What's wrong? Did I-"

"Shhhh. I'm trying to enjoy this moment."

"Enjoy the... wait so you couldn't have just enjoyed this while we were still... doing stuff?"

Rose laughed and sat up, crossing her legs into a lotus position.

"You need to stop worrying so much, Doctor. Stop thinking. Now before we get too ahead of ourselves here in this room of yours, I think I'll have that shower."

The Doctor pointed to a door in the far corner of the room.

"Through there, and the closets there too. Take up whatever room you want, I don't have that many things there now. Um, I'll just go get your clothes from the flat and maybe work on finishing up those additional rooms.."

Rose leaned in once more, and kissed the Doctor.

"Thank you," she said, before standing and practically skipping to the shower, leaving a flushed and mentally hindered Doctor behind her.


	16. Chapter 16

Hi everyone! just cutting to the chase: there will be a new chapter posted either later this night, or first thing in the morning. I know it's been ages, but now that it is summer I'll actually have the time to update multiple times a week. Stay tuned!


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